Preview: Virginia’s Season Opener vs. NC State Sold Out

August 27, 2026

Preview: Virginia’s Season Opener vs. NC State Sold Out

Name: Virginia Cavaliers vs. NC State
Start: 2026-08-29T19:30:00.000000Z
Location: Charlottesville, Va.

Kickoff from Scott Stadium is set for 3:30 p.m. on ESPN and Virginia Sports Radio Network

Saturday, Aug. 29 • 3:30 p.m.Scott Stadium

Virginia vs. NC State

Virginia Cavaliers

vs.

NC State Wolfpack

Tv: ESPN

Radio: Virginia Sports Radio Network

Sell Out Scott!

Virginia vs. NC State • Saturday, Aug. 29

100%

Tickets OutSold Out

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Returning to the gridiron for the first time since capping its historic 11-win season, Virginia (0-0) welcomes NC State (0-0) to a sold-out Scott Stadium on Saturday afternoon (Aug. 29) for the nation’s lone conference matchup. The sellout marks UVA's first since the 2008 season opener against USC and sets the stage for a highly anticipated return to Grounds. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. on ESPN and the Virginia Sports Radio Network.

Scott Stadium is SOLD OUT‼️

You can still secure fan-to-fan tickets on @SeatGeek , the official marketplace for Virginia Athletics#GoHoos pic.twitter.com/4DHITIPzcj
— Virginia Cavaliers (@VirginiaSports) August 27, 2026

UVA’s annual Paint the Town Orange pep rally will take place Friday (Aug. 28) at Ting Pavilion on Charlottesville’s Downtown Mall as part of the Fridays After Five concert series. The series begins at 5 p.m., with UVA cheerleaders and spirit squad members on hand to distribute the 2026 Virginia Football poster and other giveaways. The UVA marching band and spirit squads will depart the Omni Hotel at approximately 7:40 p.m. and march along the Downtown Mall before entering the Pavilion at 8 p.m. The pep rally will feature appearances by head coach Tony Elliott and the Virginia football team.

Continuing the Paint the Town Orange theme into the game, fans are encouraged to WEAR ORANGE! to Scott Stadium for Saturday’s season opener.

“That's the hardest part. Everybody's going to be hungry to go chase success. It's when you've had success. How do you maintain that hunger? What you do is, you double down on what you believe in."

Tony Elliott

Fralin Family Head Fooball Coach Tony Elliott

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Ahead of the Cavaliers’ season opener against NC State on Saturday (Aug. 29), Virginia Athletics welcomes the return of ACC Huddle, ACC Network’s marquee Saturday pregame show.

Hosted by Taylor Tannenbaum, Jimbo Fisher, Eric Mac Lain and Eddie Royal, ACC Huddle will broadcast live from the green space at O-Hill from 10 a.m. — noon Saturday. The live show will also features free breakfast for attendees (while supplies last), a t-shirt giveaway and other exclusive prizes.

Fan parking is available beginning at 10 a.m. until noon at the VAF North D Lot on Alderman Rd. Parking Map →

Saturday’s season opener against NC State marks the beginning of the 137th season of football at Virginia and the 96th year of football at Scott Stadium.

Dating back to 2017, UVA has won eight of its last nine season openers and owns an 88-39-9 (.680) record in season-opening games.

The Cavaliers are 75-18-7 (.785) all-time in season openers at home and have won their last seven season openers at Scott Stadium.

Virginia is seeking its first win at Scott Stadium over NC State since 2006, a 14-7 victory thanks to a pair rushing touchdowns by Jason Snelling. His 17-yarder with 1:31 remaining sealed the win.

UVA is seeking its 700th win in program history. Its all-time record currently stands at 699-652-48. Only 37 other FBS programs have reached the 700-win plateau.

Saturday will also be the 1,400th game played in Virginia football history.

The Week 0 matchup will only be the second time UVA has opened the season against NC State and the first time since 1977.

Dating back to 1999, Virginia has won four-straight season openers against ACC foes. The Cavaliers last opened the season against an ACC school in 2020, defeating Duke 38-20 at Scott Stadium.

Saturday's Week 0 contest marks the fourth-earliest start to a season in program history. A win would be UVA's earliest (by calendar year). The last time UVA opened the season on or before the 29th of August was against Colorado State on Aug. 22, 2002.

Virginia–NC State is the first conference matchup of the 2026 college football season. A total of five ACC teams (Florida State, NC State, North Carolina, Stanford & Virginia) are scheduled to play in Week 0. The Wolfpack and Cavaliers were originally scheduled to play the first-ever college football game in Brazil, but the contest was moved by game officials to Charlottesville in early June.

Last year’s designated non-conference matchup against NC State was the first of eight one-possession games Virginia played in 2025. The Cavaliers were 5-3 in those contests and 3-1 in overtime games last season.

According to ESPN Insights, Virginia boasts the most experienced roster in college football, returning 48,313 snaps from last season. The Cavaliers return five players who earned All-ACC honors from a year ago and added 10 players from the transfer portal that garnered all-conference accolades in their careers.

Led by McKale Boley, Noah Josey and Drake Metcalf, the Cavalier offensive line is the most experienced in the ACC, with a combined 165 starts. Monroe Mills (2024 All-ACC selection) and Makilan Thomas (2023 All-Sun Belt) return to action after sitting out the entire 2025 season with injuries.

Prior to a stint in the NFL, current Virginia offensive coordinator Des Kitchings was on staff for eight seasons at NC State under Dave Doeren and held the title of co-offensive coordinator in 2019, his final year in Raleigh. On the other sideline is NC State offensive line coach Garett Tujague, spent seven seasons in Charlottesville in the same role, helping UVA to a 2019 ACC Coastal Division Championship.

Listen Live on the Virginia Sports Radio Network

00:00:00

Virginia Team Information

Roster Schedule Statistics (2025)Game Notes (PDF)

NC State Team Information

Roster Schedule Statistics (2025)Game Notes (PDF)

NFL Films Documentary Tragedy to Triumph to Air on ACC Network

FootballAugust 26, 2026

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